Aruba.it Ducati boss: Feels like Redding with us for years

The Aruba.it Racing Ducati team manager Serafino Foti says Scott Redding has instantly adapted into the squad and made a lasting impression on his World Superbike debut at Phillip Island.

After clinching the 2019 British Superbike title, Redding has stepped up to the World Superbike championship with the factory Ducati squad and made a strong start to his rookie year in the series with a hat-trick of podiums in Australia to put him in second place in the standings at the end of the opening round.

Ex-MotoGP star Redding, who has brought his BSB crew chief Giovanni Crupi with him to the factory Ducati squad for this season, has replaced Alvaro Bautista in the Italian squad’s line-up after he left to spearhead the new-look Honda factory effort in WorldSBK.

Team boss Foti says despite the unusual start to the 2020 season, which has been suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic, Redding has slotted into the team with ease but felt he didn’t need to impress early on thanks to his record in Grand Prix racing and winning the BSB title as a rookie.

“It’s like Scott has been with us for many years. Scott is a very simple guy but at the same time is really professional,” Foti told worldsbk.com.

“To be honest, he didn’t impress us because we strongly believe in him. We know his potential and we know that he would be competitive this season.

“But one thing that did impress us: as you know, his first race was not easy for him because everyone expected a lot from him. From my point of view, he was very, very good because he managed the pressure well all weekend.”

Like the rest of the WorldSBK grid, Ducati had been headlong into its plans for the early rounds and in-season tests after Phillip Island but its preparations have been put on hold amid the current shutdown the Italian manufacturer is undergoing as part of the coronavirus prevention methods.

With all riders also heavily restricted on what they can do, Foti says Ducati is in frequent contact with both Redding and his team-mate Chaz Davies during the shutdown period with the Ducati engineers working on what they can from home.

“As you know the riders are important. We are in contact with them all week,” he said. “They are very important for the development of the bike.

“Of course, it is also difficult for them because they have to train indoors to keep fit. In this moment we can do nothing but together we try to be positive in order to continue our activities in the future.”

Provisionally, the World Superbike campaign is set to restart at Imola on May 8-10 but the schedule is likely to undergo further adjustments given the coronavirus measures taken across the world which limits travel and non-essential activities.